


Strong Enough to Save

by haaaveyoumetted



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo Lives, F/M, Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Redeemed Ben Solo, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:26:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21972067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haaaveyoumetted/pseuds/haaaveyoumetted
Summary: He frantically looks around the large room, eyes darting faster than his brain can process.His eyes are drawn to a limp body laying on the ground. The small frame is one that he would recognize anywhere. Rey.Without even thinking, he jumps up and attempts to run, limping and stumbling his way over to her. He even falls a few times along the way, refusing to give up until he gets to her. The moment he reaches her side, he pulls her body onto his lap and holds her head in one of his hands. He firmly presses the other hand to her abdomen.The lifelessness behind her eyes and the heaviness of her limp body sends his mind into a panic unlike anything he can ever recall experiencing.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	Strong Enough to Save

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. I was at work and something popped into my head and suddenly my hands couldn't move as fast as my thoughts were. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! 
> 
> I also didn't really have time to proofread this, so apologies in advanced!

She could _feel_ it the moment he landed. There was a tugging at the back of her mind that gradually grew stronger. She could feel him getting closer. It was almost comforting in a way- which was something she definitely couldn't afford to let her mind wander to.

**Not now.**

Not with Palpatine standing in front of her, doing everything in his power to convince her that her destiny was to strike him down; to let her anger lead her down a path she was _terrified_ part of her had already begun to follow. The visions kept coming to her. They were so _clear._ _Almost like they were memories. Moments she had already lived._

She took a few deep breaths and nodded to herself. She was hoping Kylo could see it- or at least feel it. Or maybe she didn't. 

Despite what everyone else thought - what he have proved to everyone else- her instincts were telling her... almost _**screaming**_ at her, to trust his presence here. At this point, she didn't have much choice. He was either here to help her, or to help end her, and she'd just have to face it either way. 

x x x x x x x x

Ben jumped out of the banged up scrap of metal ship he had found and started running as fast as his legs could carry him. He tried to reach out with the Force- he could feel her presence very strongly. But he couldn't _see her._

He had no idea what he was running in to. He could certainly make a fairly educated guess. 

He knew it was a bad idea to charge in, no longer having a weapon to protect himself. Even if he didn't face any obstacles before finding her, he would need _something_ if he was going to face Palpatine. 

**_But he had to get to her._ **

She was the only one, outside of Leia- and as much as it pained him to say it, Han- who looked at him as Kylo Ren and still saw Ben Solo. Who still wanted him to take her hand. Who was still willing to fight beside him. 

Once inside, he got a running start, leaping and clutching to the pillar covered in large chains, gripping as tightly as he could. He let out an audible _'oof'_ as his body made impact. Of course they had to covered in giant metal chains. He climbed down towards the ground as quietly as he could, and surveyed the dark cavern around him. It didn't take him long to reach the bottom. 

_And that's when it happened._

The Knights of Ren were there, slowly surrounding him. It felt odd, knowing he was now on the other side of all this. They'd never obey his commands in this moment- or in any other moment going forward. He studied them all for a few seconds. Their body language gave nothing away. He had taught them well in terms of controlling their thoughts and emotions from bleeding out into the Force for others to read. 

Even with his strength in the Force growing all the time, he knew he didn't stand much of a chance against them without a lightsaber. He began fighting them off as best he could, mostly using defensive techniques. But we wouldn't last long. It was only a matter of time before one of them pierced his skin- or removed one of his limbs entirely. 

Suddenly, he felt relief flow through his body when the Force extended a helping hand. Everything around him fell quiet, the air becoming crisp and familiar as she appeared in front of him. He couldn't see her surroundings- which he had gotten used to - but he could see the lightsaber in her hand, and another hilted at the side of her belt. His eyes flickered down to it briefly before looking back up and catching her gaze. She nodded at him, almost imperceptibly- as if she couldn't fully sense him there but hoped that he was. If he had blinked, he would have missed her aknowledging him completely. He almost shuddered as she stared directly at him. He could _feel_ it.

He took a few steps toward her, until he was standing directly behind her back and turned to face that Knights that had been at his back previously. They watched him curiously as he continued to fight him off. They could see that his attention was split- that something was off about the way he didn't seem to fully be there. Ben nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the cool mental brush against his the back of his hand. He couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching up into an almost smile. Sure, they had been able to touch each other through their connection. Sometimes there were even elements from wherever she had been that would bleed through to his end of their conversations- a drop of rain, or an unforgiving gush of wind. But this- this was unlike anything they had ever even attempted.

Extending his arm out beside him, he flicked the lightsaber on and watching the blue light illuminate the space around him. He shrugged slightly as he felt the poorly veiled surprised from those that surrounded him, and didn't waste any time getting to work. At least now it would be a fair fight.

x x x x x x x x

Rey felt the presence growing stronger, and couldn't push it aside any more. Couldn't focus. 

It only took a split second for her to understand why. 

She glanced around the giant cavernous structure she found herself in, trying to ground herself in some sense of reality. She turned back to look at Palpatine but all she could see was **_Ben._**

All of his First Order uniform had been stripped away, with the exception of a pair of long black pants and what appeared to be a black ~~_comfortable_~~ long sleeved undershirt. There was no long flowing cloak, no layers and layers black falling around him with First Order patches or emblems in sight. The only other time she'd seen him stripped of it was when he had appeared to her shirtless- and she was **_absolutely not_** going to think about that now. His expression was open in a way she'd never been allowed to see until that moment. Their connection wasn't as clear as it usually was. But she knew he was there. 

He was staring at her and only when his gaze drifted down towards her waistline did she notice he was completely unarmed. His face was vulnerable, but his body language was tense. 

If he _had_ come to help Palpatine finish her off, or to ask her again to take his hand and complete her journey to the dark side, he wouldn't be appearing to her like this. They couldn't really control _when_ they saw each other, but she could see in his eyes that he was there to help. But he clearly needed her help first. 

Palpatine suddenly appeared back in her line of sight as Ben slowly walked closer to her, eventually coming to a stop behind her. It was a sensation she didn't think she'd ever figure out how to describe. She could _feel_ his energy radiating behind her, but she knew that he wasn't physically standing there. 

With her unoccupied hand, she unclipped the spare lightsaber and slid it behind her back. Almost immediately she felt the weight shift as it transferred to his hand. When she was sure he had a grip on it, she moved her hand back to the hilt of the lightsaber in her other hand. 

She still had no idea how she was going to defeat Palpatine without giving him exactly what he wanted, but she was sightly comforted by the fact the she wasn't alone. Even if she couldn't see him anymore. She steadied herself as best she could, knowing he was far more powerful than anyone she had ever faced. 

x x x x x x x x

As much time as he'd spent training with the Knights of Ren, fighting against them completely outnumbered wasn't made much easier by the knowledge he possessed of their techniques. He didn't hate them. He didn't even necessarily want to kill them- but they weren't just going to let him walk by. 

He took the first swing and chaos once again broke out around him. He was knocked to the ground more times than he could keep track of. His determination refused to falter and slowly they began to fall, one by one. Even with his progress, he couldn't help but feel like time was slipping away from him. He couldn't finish the job quick enough. 

But the time the last Knight had fallen, he was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat and couldn't help but think about the possibility that he may not make it out of this one alive. 

He brushed away the thought and kept moving. He could feel that she wasn't far away, but he still couldn't _see her_. 

Lightsaber still drawn, he focused his energy on reaching out to the Force. He needed guidance. He walked down a dark corridor, his only source of light coming from the weapon in his hand. As he reached the end of the corridor, the room once again opened up in front of him. The pathway split off into two directions, his instinct telling him to follow the one to his right. It only took a few steps before he heard faint echoes of Palpatine's booming voice. 

He tightened his grip on the lightsaber and kept walking. With every step he took, he could feel his heart rate increasing. His palms were sweating. Subconsciously, his mind was searching for her. He locked in on her, a split second before he laid eyes on her. 

" _Rey_." 

The attention in the room shifted suddenly. All he cared about was the he had made it on time. They still had a chance. 

_Rey was still alive._

He didn't doubt the strength she had to defend herself- especially if what Palpatine wanted them to believe was actually true. 

He had seen what her power looked like- he'd _felt it._ Even in the short time she'd been training, she had made extraordinary progress. She'd been training aggressively and it showed. There were several times he could recall feeling her frustration through the bond. 

He'd never convince her that she needed him to protect her, but he wasn't going to leave her to face this one alone. 

He could still feel her palm pressed against his abdomen as she guided some of her life Force through their bond, concentrating it in the area she had fatally wounded him. Where she had healed him. She'd done what she always said she'd do. She bested him. She could have sat there & watched him die. 

And then, the moment she witnessed the effects of her actions rippling through the galaxy back at her, she used all of the power she could muster to fix it. As much as he had wanted her to take his hand the few times he had extended it to her, the moment that she chose to save his life solidified the fact that she never could have. Not while he was still parading around as Kylo Ren. He dared to let himself hope that extending a hand to her as Ben, she'd be more willing to accept. 

...if they even made it out of this. 

x x x x x x x x

Standing next to each other, they lifted their lightsabers almost in unison. 

Rey ran towards Palpatine, ready to strike, instead, having to maneuver her weapon to block the lightning he sent her way. Ben ran up to take some of the attention off of her and Palpatine instantly lifted his other hand, sending him flying unforgivingly hard into one of the stone walls. 

Rey struggled to hold him off. Palpatine used the Force to lift them both sending shocks of lightning through his hands. He looked at them both, almost with a look of admiration. 

"The connection you two share is unlike any bonds the Force usually forms. It is exceedingly rare- especially between two as powerful as you." he remarked. "This is exactly the kind of power I was hoping to find. This is the only way I will truly be able to restore my life Force to it's former glory." 

They both struggled against his power. He lowered them to their knees as he continued to draw their life Force from them. 

Ben and Rey both fall, almost simultaneously, hitting the ground as Palpatine basks in the pure power surging through his body. 

Rey's fingers begin to twitch and she slowly, weakly attempts to pull the lightsaber closer to her. It's just beyond her reach, and it's only through sheer will power does she manage the strength to shift over and grab it. Her whole body shakes as she pulls herself up to her knees- just in time to see Ben's body fly past her and over the cliff edge a behind them. 

She ignites the lightsaber in her hand once again, using every drop of strength she has left in her body. She summons Ben's lightsaber into her other hand, giving her more leverage against the lightning Palpatine relentlessly blasts her way. Rey focuses on the life Force she feels humming through her into her core and pushes until she feels power surge through her. It surges out of her and she sees it overtake him completely - eating any at his physical form until he crumbles into nothing. 

The last spark of the Force starts to fade from her body, and she once again collapses to the ground. 

x x x x x x x x

Ben's eyes shoot open as he feels himself land- **_hard._** He coughs violently and desperately tries to get air circulating through his lungs again. Sitting up slowly, wincing in pain at any movement at all, he looks around and realizes that Rey and Palpatine are nowhere to be found. He reached out with the Force, waiting to feel that familiar tug as he finds her- but he can't feel anything. _She's not there._

He couldn't even remember what it felt like to reach out and not feel her life Force at all. It was distressing in ways he didn't even want to think about.

Ben pushes himself to stand and nearly collapses to the ground again almost immediately. He can feel that a few ribs are at least bruised, if not broken, and putting any weight onto his right leg is excruciatingly painful. 

He takes a few deep breaths. _He has to get to Rey._

Looking around, Ben soon discovers that the only way he can go is up. He doesn't give himself any time to dwell on how painful it's going to be and just starts climbing. 

Immediately, he feels his body yelling out in protest and he bites his lip to keep from screaming. He feels like hours have passed by the time he reaches the ledge. He knows that pulling himself up over it is going to hurt. _**A lot.**_ He tries to brace himself. He uses his feet to push up and he lunges, letting out a loud groan as he lands on his battered torso. 

He frantically looks around the large room, eyes darting faster than his brain can process. 

His eyes are drawn to a limp body laying on the ground. The small frame is one that he would recognize anywhere. _**Rey.**_

Without even thinking, he jumps up and attempts to run, limping and stumbling his way over to her. He even falls a few times along the way, refusing to give up until he gets to her. The moment he reaches her side, he pulls her body onto his lap and holds her head in one of his hands. He firmly presses the other hand to her abdomen. 

The lifelessness behind her eyes and the heaviness of her limp body sends his mind into a panic unlike anything he can ever recall experiencing. 

He closes his eyes and tries to force himself to stay calm. Ben has no idea what he's doing. He had never seen someone use the Force to heal another person the way Rey had done for him. He had heard whispers, ones that had echoed through time and reverberated around the galaxy, eventually finding their ways into the corridors he walked down every day. It was said that harnessing the power of the Dark Side could allow you the strength to cheat death. But this was something else. Rey hadn't cheated death for him out of hatred. Maybe out of pain... but..

He couldn't dwell on that now. He had no idea what to think. He didn't know what power to use or where to pull Force energy from. He takes another deep breath and concentrates on searching for her. He so desperately wants to feel that spark; that **_feeling_** at the back of his mind that he had come to recognize as her. He focuses. He tries to push life into her, having no idea what that actually feels like or if he's doing anything at all. He takes the Force he feels connected to and tries to guide it through his hand and into the body lying in his arms. 

His hopes start to dwindle as he doesn't feel anything happening - but he just _**can't**_. Can't live with the fact that he failed to protect her. _That he's alive without her._  
  
His breathing becomes erratic as he feels panic and dread threatening to take over. 

Suddenly, he feels a gentle tugging at the corner of his mind and his eyes shoot open. He doesn't dare move his hand - even as she slowly blinks until her eyes open fully and she pushes herself up into a sitting position. 

She looks into his eyes and he can see a thousand questions racing through her mind. He slowly lifts his hand and gently places it on her cheek.

" _Ben.._ " she whispers as her face breaks out into a blinding smile. 

Ben feels himself smiling just as wide. It's a bit rusty and unfamiliar, the emotions that surge through him in that moment. He knows he's felt them before- or something like them at least; a very, very long time ago. But he couldn't possibly have ever felt them like this. He lets out a small laugh in relief. 

He doesn't know how to express everything he wants to say in that moment. He's almost afraid to speak - to disturb the moment. The way she's looking at him. The way she hasn't moved out of his lap or flinched away from his hand gently stroking her cheek.

If this is the only moment he gets to have with her like this, he's not going to be the one to break it. 

She's taken the last few moments look at him, with an emotion behind her eyes that he doesn't have a name for. Their eyes meet again and Rey leans forward and presses her lips against his before he can even process what's happening. Without thinking about it, he slides his hand from her cheek to the back of her head and tries to pull her even closer. 

He can't control it anymore. He can't treat the moment delicately anymore out of fear. If this is his only chance at this, his only moment to _**show**_ her what he's never been able to with words, he's not going to let it slip through his fingers. 

x x x x x x x x

Her head feels heavy- full. Too full. She has experienced grogginess before, but this felt so much heavier. More... infinite, almost. Slowly, gradually, she feels it getting lighter. She feels a presence, gently floating through her mind. Her thoughts start becoming clearer as it passes through. She feels a rush of air push through her lungs and her eyes open. Feeling disoriented, she somehow manages to sit herself up relatively quickly and is greeted by the surprisingly welcome face of Ben Solo. 

For a moment, it disorients her further. She searches his face and then forces herself to make eye contact. Searching the depths of them for what she'd always seen a glimmer of- but this time it's all she finds and she can't help the smile that spreads across her face. She says his name, almost in a sigh of relief. " _Ben.._ "

This is the first time she's looked at him and has seen no traces of Kylo Ren behind his eyes. He's not fighting with himself anymore. 

He immediately smiles back at her and her heart nearly stops at the sight of it. She's seen him smirk before, but there had always been pain or anger or malice behind it. Seeing a pure smile on his face is something she tried to keep herself from even dreaming of. 

Ben was looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered, and as much love as she had felt from the new family she had fallen into since leaving Jakku- she'd never been looked at like this before. Her eyes flicker closed for a few seconds as he slowly brings his hand up to touch her face. He gently touches her cheek, almost as if he's afraid it will be unwelcome. 

She ignores the hesitation she feels from him and studies every inch of his face. She doesn't know how long this moment will last. She's so caught off guard that she doesn't know what to do with it- but to do nothing would feel like a waste. 

She shifts her gaze back up to his eyes and before she realizes what she's doing, she feels herself leaning and in and pressing her lips against his. A brief moment of panic rushes through her when her brain catches up to what she has actually done, but it disappears instantly as she feels his hand slide from her cheek to the back of her head. He gently tries to pull her even closer. She's already on his lap- she was hoping he hadn't noticed that she had stayed there even after she regained consciousness. He clearly didn't seem to mind now, as even that didn't feel close enough. 

They slowly part, only enough to bring air back into their lungs, as Ben rests his forehead on hers. They spend a few moments just breathing, not saying anything. This moment belongs completely to them and she's terrified that breaking away from it means they'll never get it back- that they'll have wasted their one _**real**_ moment together. 

But even with Palpatine defeated, the planet is burning around them and there would be plenty of people frantically searching for her amongst the chaos. She's the first to move, and this time when she looks into his eyes, she see something that wasn't there before. He almost looks.. sad? resigned? She isn't quite sure what to call it. She struggles with what she wants to say, but finally manages, "We can't stay here."

A look of disappointment flickers across his features, only briefly, before he nods in agreement. "I know."

She can feel it in the air between them. So many unspoken, unanswered questions created a new kind of tension in the air. 

"I don't... I can't share this bond with you Rey. Not anymore." Ben says, refusing to look her in the eyes for the first time since she opened hers. 

He feels how hurt she is through the bond, and in the way her entire body tenses just slightly. It might have gone unnoticed by anyone that wasn't paying as close attention to her as he was. 

"...after this ... the bond won't be enough. It already made things extremely difficult before." He pauses to gather his thoughts, still not looking at her. "Having no control over it has always been frustrating, to say the least. I know I don't have to tell you that. I'd turn around when the silence became almost demeaning, and you'd be there. And I was never prepared for it. I never had my guard up- not the way I needed to." 

He pauses again and even so, Rey barely has time to process the words coming out of his mouth.

"... And now. Now that I've felt this.. I won't be able to control it anymore. I won't be strong enough to try to keep that wall up between us. I'll seek you out within the bond, and it will never be enough. Shielding my thoughts and feelings from you... I won't want to do that anymore. I _don't_ want to do that anymore." 

He finally makes eye contact with her again, just in time to see the tears welling up in her eyes, a few spilling over and running down her cheeks. He's caught off guard completely. He's seen tears of anger and frustration from her before... but this, was not that. 

The silence that fills the space between them is agonizing. He couldn't tell you how long it lasted. It was a new kind of deafening. More unbearable than the vacuum of silence that enveloped him when their bond would bring them together for stolen moments together from opposite ends of the galaxy. 

Finally, Rey is the one to break the silence. 

"Ben.." she made sure she was looking into his eyes before she continued. "Take my hand. Please."

It wasn't the first time he'd heard that from her. He'd asked her to do the same not long ago- but everything had changed since then. He never thought she'd extend her hand to him again. He thought he knew that turning her down would have shut that door forever. How foolish he had been then to think he could survive that way when the Force so clearly had them tethered. 

"Rey... they'll never accept this." He had so much to answer for. So many wrongs to right. So many things he'd done that he would never be able to take back. "They'll never look at me and see Ben the way that you do."

There was a deep sadness in his eyes - so much regret and uncertainty. Rey felt another tear slip down her cheek. "You're right." She replied. 

As much as she wanted to tell him he was wrong, they both knew that there were a lot of people who wouldn't forgive him; wouldn't trust him.

"It may take a very long time before others look at you and see you for who you really are. It's not going to be easy." She continued. She looked down briefly to find his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "But I'll never stop looking at you and seeing the good that I know has always been there."

She feels his hand tighten around hers and she feels the corners of her mouth tick up into a small smile.

"Please don't walk away from me again." There is a tinge of desperation in Rey's voice as she continues. "Come with me. Come _home_."

Ben had only ever heard a pleading for him to _come home_ a handful of times in his life that he could recall. When his mother tried to reach out to him, she'd said it often. Luke had given up long ago, and after their falling out he couldn't blame him for it. His father hadn't been as persistent - but it had always been harder on him. This wasn't the first time at least a small part of him wanted to. He had worked very hard in the past to keep those occasional urges at bay; to build a wall around himself strong enough that not even his own mother could penetrate it.

This time was different. Of course it was. Last time Rey had asked him, he was so focused- so determined to achieve one goal. To get _**her**_ to take _**his**_ hand. Now he realized it was always going to be this way- her saving him. Her extending him the opportunity for a home and a true purpose; one he knew that he didn't deserve.

He realized he still hadn't answered her and she was beginning to look defeated. 

"I couldn't bring myself to walk away from you again. Even if I wanted to. I would be walking away from the only thing in the galaxy that I have left." Ben replied, rubbing patterns into her hand, which somehow she was still allowing him to hold. He stared down at them as he spoke. This level of vulnerability was extremely uncomfortable for him. He was stupidly afraid that she'd change her mind. That she'd reject him and then he would try be alone, with no where to turn. He'd live with it. It was the fate he knew he actually deserved. 

He felt her fingertips gently touch his chin, slowly guiding his head to look at her. There was a hopeful spark in her eyes- a playfulness he was not used to seeing directed at him. "Let's go home." 

"Home." he replied, with the smallest smile on his face. He nodded in agreement, almost as if to reassure himself. 

Rey stood, slightly stumbling in the process. Ben gently held her steady as he stood, all of the previously forgotten pain rushing back to him. His knees almost buckled beneath him. He grimaced and his hand flew to his side. He could still barely put any weight on his leg without wanting to scream. 

The expression on Rey's face immediately changed to one of alarm as she watched Ben struggle to even stand on his own. She was so wrapped up in just being with him that it completely slipped her mind that he was most likely injured. She rushes to his side, offering as much support as her small frame can offer someone who towers over her, and they being walking in the direction they hope will lead them out. 

Rey can tell they're getting closer to finding their way as the sounds from outside of the cave begins to echo off of the walls. When they finally step outside, it looks like the sky is falling around them. She leads them to the closest ship she can find as fast as they can manage. It's a relief to the both of them when Ben finally has a chair he can collapse into. He tries to stifle the groans of pain and discomfort as he forces himself to focus on the task at hand. 

Rey readies the ship so quickly and efficiently, as if she's under this amount of pressure every time she operates. Given what she's been through most of her life- the past few years especially- Ben shouldn't be surprised to see her like this. And surprised isn't the right word. He's in awe of her, more than anything. The feeling wasn't new; allowing his mind to linger on it and acknowledge the way he felt about it- **_that_** was new. 

She expertly navigates them through the crumbling landscape and the flow of debris falling constantly around them in the sky. As soon as they leave the atmosphere of the planet, Ben lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in.

Rey puts in the coordinates of what Ben assumes is the Resistance base and then turns to look at him. 

The silence that surrounds them isn't tense or uncomfortable, but it feels almost delicate. They were in new, unexplored territory with each other. Neither one of them knowing where to start or how. 

Ben decides to bite the bullet and ask the question he'd been dreading to hear the answer to. "What happens when we land?" His eyes had shifted away from her and were now burning a hole into the cockpit in front of him.

Rey didn't respond immediately. He hadn't expected her to. He trusted her completely. He wasn't worried about what his fate would be with the Resistance if it was only her decision to make. But it wasn't, and they both knew that.

"We go straight to the med bay. We don't have enough crew left for it to be fully operational as it once was, but they'll look after you." She made it sound so simple. She wasn't looking at him either.

His eyes snap over to her in disbelief. He almost scoffs but manages to bite his tongue. "Without you there, I have a feeling that making sure I'm taken care of will not fall on their list of priorities." Ben replied.

She caught his gaze again before replying. "Then I won't leave you alone." 

As always, he only saw truth in her eyes. No matter how it was she had looked at him in the past, her eyes had always told him what he needed to know. 

"There's still time for you to change your mind. No one has to know that I'm alive; that you helped me." He had to offer her another out. "You're going home the hero of the Resistance. The moment you step out of this ship with me by your side, there's going to be a dark cloud hanging over all of that."

Silence hung in the air once again and Ben tried not to let it make him anxious. He had started to allow himself to imagine what having a real home would feel like. He knew it was too late to experience it in the true sense, with both of his parents and Luke now gone. 

But somehow he had convinced _**her**_ that he was worth of a home; a home where they wouldn't have to look to the Force to be connected. He couldn't remember the last time he felt brave enough to allow himself to hope. 

"The Resistance has never been one person, Ben."

He opened his mouth to reply, but she continued talking before he could say anything. 

"I understand that symbolically, I've played an important part in all of this. But it's never been about that for me."

"I know." Ben replied, without hesitation.

"I know what it's like to be alone. To have no one." Rey continued. "I'm not going to let that happen to you again. We've both experienced enough loneliness for a lifetime. I've made my choice and I'm willing to face whatever consequences come along with it."

She spoke confidently, and he couldn't sense any fear, or doubts, or regrets or uncertainty. She had decided that this is what she wanted, and she was just as if not more stubborn than he was. No one was going to change her mind now. 

He smiled at her, and she smiled right back before walking over to the other seat in the cockpit and sitting down next to him. 


End file.
